Sir Damien
Sir Damien the Pious, '''also known as '''Sir Damien, is a knight of The Second Citadel, as well as a poet. Outside of knighting, he is also very close with his fiancée, Rilla. He is named after Saint Damien, a major figure in the mythology of the Citadel, and often calls upon the saint as a way of trying to calm his many anxieties. Early Life As a child, Damien studied the holy texts of St. Damien "day and night." His father told him he would amount to nothing, for he was often ill and often bullied. After some other children threw him in a river, knowing he could not swim, Damien heard St. Damien speak to him. He survived and was inspired by the experience to pursue knighthood so he could help others as St. Damien does.Second Citadel - The Battle at World's End (Part 4) History Personality Sir Damien is one of the top monster-slaying knights in the Citadel, having spent years tied for the position with his best friend and rival Sir Angelo. Early on in the story, it is shown that he has a slight ego and considers himself to be above others such as Sir Marc or Talfryn, which he originally perceived to be cheaters and scoundrels. Damien is very prone to anxiety and panic attacks and has trouble unlearning the internalized prejudices he grew up with in the Second Citadel. When he's feeling anxious, he tends to try to rationalize the situation to calm himself down. He finds it highly difficult to navigate his complex emotions towards Lord Arum, frequently doubting himself and calling upon Saint Damien for advice. He rarely receives an answer. Abilities Sir Damien is one of the best knights in all of the Second Citadel, rivaled only by Sir Angelo. He is renowned for his monster-slaying skills, particularly archery. He has also demonstrated proficiency with a dagger and hand-to-hand combat, as seen in his first encounter with Lord Arum. Additionally, Damien is a skilled wordsmith and poet, frequently speaking in flowery and dramatic language, and has written several poems for his fiance, Rilla. He appreciates a good story and is lauded for being an excellent storyteller. He appears to be interested in literature, reciting ''The Battle at World's End'''' verbatim for the nymphs' competition.Second Citadel - The Sportive Nymphs (Part 1) Relationships Lord Arum Sir Damien and Lord Arum are rivals, deadly foes, and desperately attracted to one another. Initially, Lord Arum looks down on Sir Damien for being human and Sir Damien hates and is revolted by Lord Arum's being a monster, but they quickly come to appreciate each other's combat ability, intelligence, and physical form.Second Citadel - Knight of the Crown, Lord of the Swamp (Part 1) Lord Arum gives Sir Damien the nickname "Honeysuckle," originally a derogatory reference to his delicate poetry, which Lord Arum claims to hate, and later to his human fragility. Sir Damien works to pretend his feelings for Lord Arum are those he would have for a rival, but eventually cannot deny his attraction.Second Citadel - Knight of the Crown, Lord of the Swamp (Part 2) He is preoccupied with the violet color of Lord Arum's eyes. Each spares the other's life after gaining the upper hand in a duel. Sir Damien sees "something human" in Lord Arum's eyes, and Lord Arum notes "something monstrous" in Sir Damien's. When preparing to fight their third duel, to the death, Sir Damien cannot decide whether it would be worse to die, leaving Rilla alone, or to kill Lord Arum, who he describes as a part of his heart. Their relationship changes when Sir Damien hears that Lord Arum has kidnapped Rilla, and learns that as of late there have been a series of monsters with the power to manipulate human perceptions and emotions. He then blames his feelings for Lord Arum on a magical illusion he accuses the lizard as having cast, and embarks on a quest to save Rilla and slay Lord Arum. He is wracked with obsessive guilt, an upswing of which is triggered by any mention of anything vaguely lizardlike.Second Citadel - Lady of the Lake When Sir Damien finally finds Lord Arum, he is clearly still attracted to the lizard, and admits than when he'd been told Lord Arum was dead he'd essentially been heartbroken.Second Citadel - The Hallowed Halls of Helicoid (Part 2) However when Rilla arrives and he sees the level of familiarity between her and Lord Arum, he dismisses everything as an illusion, casting aside his earlier doubts entirely. He plans to slit Lord Arum's throat, however Rilla convinces him not to by hastily explaining the feelings she also has for Lord Arum. Damien allows Arum to escape, but plans on leaving Rilla and Arum despite having feelings for both of them, because he feels slightly betrayed by Rilla, saying "Stepping back into a life where I was once loved... It is very painful, Rilla, to be loved ''too." He wishes Lord Aum and Rilla great happiness together even as he leaves. However Lord Arum challenges him to a duel and during the fight manages to convince Damien to stay and try a relationship between all 3 of them. Amaryllis of Exile His fiancee and doctor, she has a calming effect on Damien and has helped him manage his anxiety. They're so in love! Damien writes her lots of poems! It's cute as hell! They met when Damien, as a knight-in-training, had become so hypochondriac the rest of the Citadel's healers had grown reluctant to examine him. When he finally was genuinely ill, with Spider Queen venom, he turned to Rilla, who fell in love with his "beautiful, and so funny" storytelling, and then with him. He told her at least one thinly veiled story about an extremely beautiful, and even more intelligent, doctor.Second Citadel - The Moonlit Hermit (Part 2) Sir Angelo Best friend and Rival, Angelo and Damien have a tremendous affection for each other, and continually push each other to better themselves as knights and individuals. Sir Caroline Pushed him down the stairs one time to take his assignment, and their working relationship has not improved since. Sir Marc Sir Damien brushed Sir Marc off initially, but gradually learning to respect his skill as a knight and refer to him by his actual name. Very gradually. Talfryn Episode Appearances Trivia * Lead writer Kevin Vibert has stated on several occasions that Sir Damien is one of the characters he relates to most.needed References Category:Characters Category:Second Citadel Category:Second Citadel characters